1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of electronic mail messaging and in particular to a web based email control center for managing emails from multiple senders to different email addresses utilized by a particular user.
2. Description of the Related Art
Today, a user accessing web sites over the World Wide Web graphical user interface portion of the Internet may do so via one or more “portals” or “aggregators”. With reference to FIG. 1, an individual can access various web sites over the Internet 100 using a web browser software application 101 such as Netscape Navigator available from American Online (AOL), or Internet Explorer available from Microsoft Corporation. The web sites provide such diverse services as online stock brokerage accounts 102, retail accounts 103, travel services 104, online auctions 105, online magazines and newspapers 106, and the like. In one instance, the user may access various web sites via a particular Internet portal site 110, such as America Online (AOL), and in another instance, access other web sites via a different portal site 120, such as Yahoo!
Visiting multiple web sites to check news, obtain stock quotes, examine retail orders, or book travel plans, can be cumbersome and repetitive. Retrieving information from multiple accounts is time consuming. Moreover, many sites require a user to provide personal information, such as his name, address, credit card number, and email address. Providing such information also raises privacy concerns and opens the door for unsolicited emails directed to the user. A user visiting certain web sites may be reluctant to either provide their email address or provide a fake email address.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and apparatus that provide for increased ease and convenience in managing a user's Internet communications, while at the same time ensuring the user's privacy and minimizing unsolicited email communications with the user.